–Strategic Investment Underscores Aleph’s and Crestview’s Commitment to Backing Industry-Leading Companies with Tremendous Potential for Growth and Value-creation–
–Capital Will Be Used to Accelerate Saber Interactive’s Growth Initiatives and Fully Repay Embracer Debt–
LONDON and NEW YORK, Sept. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Aleph Capital Partners and Crestview Partners, leading private equity firms based in London and New York, respectively, today announced a significant equity investment in Saber Interactive, a global leader in interactive entertainment and video game development. This strategic investment underscores Aleph’s and Crestview’s commitment to backing industry-leading companies with tremendous potential for growth and value-creation.
Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Saber Interactive is one of the world’s leading independent game developers for all major platforms based on original and licensed IPs, including successful titles such as Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (just released on September 9, 2024), World War Z, SnowRunner, Expeditions: A MudRunner Game, Insurgency: Sandstorm, and an exciting slate of upcoming titles including Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Jurassic Park: Survival, John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead, RoadCraft, Tempest Rising, and many others.
With this investment, Saber Interactive will pay off all debt owed to Embracer Group AB in connection with its recent management-led buyout and will accelerate growth initiatives, leveraging its experienced management team and core development strengths from 13 tightly integrated studios located across Western and Eastern Europe, the United States, and South America.
Jamie Rahamim, Managing Director and Head of Media at Aleph, commented, “We are excited to partner with Saber, a unique platform with exceptional capabilities and a robust portfolio of major games to be released over the next several years. This investment is aligned with our strategy of supporting dynamic companies that have the potential to shape the future of their industries. We look forward to partnering with Saber’s talented leadership team to help them achieve even greater success on a global scale.”
Brian Cassidy, President and Head of Media at Crestview, said, “We are thrilled to be partnering with Saber and its talented team on this compelling investment opportunity. Saber is well-positioned to capitalize on the dynamic changes playing out in the media, entertainment, gaming and technology sectors, and we look forward to helping the company achieve its full potential through organic growth initiatives and M&A.”
Matthew Karch, CEO of Saber Interactive, added, “It’s hard to believe that Saber has been in business for nearly a quarter of a century. While we have grown to over 3,000 developers across the globe, we still feel like a startup with tremendous opportunity for rapid growth.”
“Aleph and Crestview’s investment in Saber is a testament to what we have built, and more importantly, to what we can still achieve in the coming years as creators and providers of some of the best game content in the world,” added Mr. Karch. “I have been doing this long enough to know that the most important aspect of any investment is who your partners are, and I can state with tremendous confidence that Jamie and Brian and their respective teams at Aleph and Crestview are the right fit for Saber’s future. Saber has a lot to celebrate these days, and this partnership is at the top of the list.”
As part of this transaction, Jamie Rahamim and Brian Cassidy will be joining Saber’s Board of Directors, along with Matthew Karch and Andrey Iones.
Octagon Capital Group LLC served as strategic and financial advisor to Saber Interactive, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to Aleph and Crestview in connection with this transaction.
About Aleph Capital PartnersAleph Capital is a London-based independent investment firm which was founded by Hugues Lepic, former head of Goldman Sachs’ Merchant Banking Division in Europe. Established in 2013, its mandate is to provide flexible capital solutions to ambitious companies seeking to unlock their growth potential. Aleph looks to back companies driven by strong secular industry themes primarily in the Telecom, Media and Technology sectors, working closely with management teams as a long-term investor to deliver value growth. For more information, please visit www.aleph.com.
About CrestviewFounded in 2004, Crestview is a value-oriented private equity firm focused on the middle market. The firm is based in New York and manages funds with approximately $10 billion of aggregate capital commitments. The firm is led by a group of partners who have complementary experience and distinguished backgrounds in private equity, finance, operations and management. Crestview has senior investment professionals focused on sourcing and managing investments in each of the specialty areas of the firm: media, industrials, and financial services. For more information, please visit www.crestview.com.
About Saber InteractiveSaber Interactive is one of the world’s leading independent game developers for all major platforms based on original and licensed IPs, including successful titles such as Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, World War Z, SnowRunner, Expeditions: A MudRunner Game, Insurgency: Sandstorm, and an exciting slate of upcoming titles including Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Jurassic Park: Survival, John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead, RoadCraft, Tempest Rising, and many others. With over 3,000 employees, Saber operates 13 studios located across Western and Eastern Europe, the United States, and South America. For more information, please visit https://saber.games/.
Media Contact:
Jeffrey Taufield or Daniel Yunger
Kekst CNC
(212) 521-4800
[email protected] / [email protected]
Rob Fleischer
Saber Interactive
[email protected]
SOURCE Crestview Partners; Aleph Capital Partners; Saber Interactive
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